working out, chowing down, & living up the college life

Vegan Thanksgiving: Round 3

I hope everyone had a splendid Thanksgiving, surrounded by friends, family and delicious food.

I apologize for those of you that have missed my blog posts! I’ve been consumed with my YouTube channel and seem to have left my blog posts by the way side. I intend to find a way to integrate the two better in the near future.

This year, I celebrated my third Thanksgiving as a VEGAN! How wild is that? I honestly can’t believe how the time has flown by. Fortunately, with a couple of vegan holiday seasons under my belt, I now know my way around the cookie counter (so to say).

As it was just my immediate family and I this year, it was quite easy to keep things simple, which was just the theme I was going for.

Here I will share with you the delicious recipes I followed to create these delightful, delicious, nutritious and cruelty-free concoctions.

Add lentils into a medium pot along with 2 and 1/4 cups water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for about 20 minutes, uncovered, adding more water if the lentils dry out. Once the lentils are fork tender, remove from heat and mash with a potato masher until it’s a coarse paste with some lentil pieces still intact. Set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325F. Toast the chopped walnuts for 9-12 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. After toasting, increase oven temp to 350F.

In a very large skillet or wok, add the oil along with the finely chopped mushrooms and garlic. Season with salt. Saute over medium-high heat for about 7-9 minutes, until most of the water cooks off. Now add the kale, toasted walnuts, cranberries, herbs, and sherry vinegar. Stir until combined and continue cooking for another few minutes until the kale is wilted. Remove from heat and stir in the mashed lentils when ready.

In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax and water. Stir for 10 seconds and then immediately pour into the skillet mixture. Stir to combine. Now stir in the 1/2 cup oat flour until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be fairly moist and sticky. If it’s way too sticky, add a bit more oat flour. If it’s dry, add another tbsp of water.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape lentil mixture into balls and pack tightly with your hands so they hold together. Place on baking sheet an inch or so apart. Repeat for the rest. If the mixture is too hot to handle, let it cool for a bit first and then proceed.

Bake the lentil balls at 350F for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, gently flip over, and bake for another 11-13 minutes, until golden and firm on the exterior.